Ngā wāhi para me te tukunga Waste facilities and disposal
On this page, you can explore interactive dashboards and visuals that display the locations of registered waste facilities, as well as overall trends in waste disposal and diversion.
The Waste Minimisation Act 2008 (WMA) and the associated regulations introduced a framework for operators to report on waste disposal at facilities across Aotearoa New Zealand. From 2009, class 1 (municipal) waste facilities started to report on their data. This is the most consistent source of historical waste data that the Ministry holds.
In 2021, the waste disposal levy expansion project implemented a phased adoption of reporting for the remaining classes of waste disposal facilities that are within the scope of the regulations.
Read more information about the waste disposal levy:
The waste facility locations dashboard presents the locations and distribution of waste management sites across Aotearoa New Zealand. It focuses on facilities defined by the Waste Minimisation (Calculation and Payment of Waste Disposal Levy) Regulations 2009 and the Waste Minimisation (Information Requirements) Regulations 2021.
The waste tonnages dashboard shows total tonnages for:
- municipal disposal facilities (class 1),
- construction and demolition fill facilities (class 2),
- managed or controlled fill facilities (class 3 or 4), and
- transfer stations.
Data can be viewed by financial year, calendar year, quarter, or month, depending on the reporting schedule of the facility.
Data is aggregated at the national level, combining waste tonnages from all facilities across the country into totals by facility type. The per capita option allows the data to be compared over time according to average tonnage of waste received, diverted, and disposed of per person.
Based on the research and modelling from Te Rārangi Haurehu Kati Mahana a Aotearoa, New Zealand's greenhouse gas inventory, 1990-2022, the composition of waste disposed of to class 1 landfills has changed over time.
It is estimated that since 1950:
- food and garden waste and paper have decreased in the share of total class 1 waste
- wood and inert waste (non-greenhouse gas emitting waste which includes plastics and other materials) have increased in the share of total class 1 waste.
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If you have any questions, please email the National Waste Data Reporting team at nwdrp@mfe.govt.nz.